MISSOURI. 



481 



the part of the Government, and Gov. Jackson, 

 Gen. Price, and Thomas L. Snead, on the part 

 of the State, hud a four hours' interview at St. 

 Louis, which resulted in no pacific measures 

 being adopted. Gov. Jackson demanded that 

 n.> United State? forces should be quartered or 

 marched through the State. 



General Lyou laid down his views, as a ser- 

 vant of the Government, somewhat to this 

 eff..ct : That if the Government withdrew its 

 forces entirely, resort would be made to secret 

 and subtle measures to provide arms and effect 

 organizations which, upon any pretext, could 

 put forth a formidable opposition to the Gen- 

 eral Government, and even while arming, com- 

 binations would doubtless form in certain local- 

 ities to oppress and drive out loyal citizens, to 

 whom the Government was bound to give pro- 

 tection, but which it would be helpless to do, 

 as also to repress such combinations, if its forces 

 could not be sent into the State. A large aggres- 

 sive force might be formed and advanced from 

 the exterior into the State, to assist it in carrying 

 out the secession programme, and the Govern- 

 ment could not, under the limitation proposed, 

 take posts on these borders to meet and repel 

 such force. The Government could not shrink 

 from its duties nor abdicate its corresponding 

 rights ; and, in addition to the above, it was 

 the duty of its civil officers to execute civil pro- 

 cess, and in ca.se of resistance to receive the 

 support of military force. The proposition of 

 the Governor would at once overturn the Gov- 

 ernment's privileges and prerogatives which he 

 (Gen. Lyon) had neither the wish nor authority 

 to do. In his opinion, if the Governor and the 

 State authorities would earnestly set about to 

 maintain the peace of the State, and declare 

 their purposes to resist outrages upon loyal 

 citizens of the Government, and repress insur- 

 rections against it, and, in case of violent com- 

 binations, needing cooperation of the United 

 States troops, they should call upon or accept 

 such assistance, and in case of threatened in- 

 vasion, the Government troops took suitable 

 posts to meet it, the purposes of the Govern- 

 ment would be subserved, and no infringements 

 of the State's right or dignity committed. He 

 would take good care, in such faithful coopera- 

 tion of the State authorities to this end, that no 

 individual should be injured in person or prop- 

 erty, and that the utmost delicacy should be 

 observed towards all peaceable persons con- 

 cerned in these relations. Upon this basis, in 

 Gen. Lyon's opinion, could the rights of both 

 the General and State Governments be secured 

 and peace maintained. 



After the interview the Governor returned to 

 Jefferson City, and on the 12th issued his proc- 

 lamation calling into active service fifty thou- 

 sand of the State militia, " for the purpose of 

 repelling invasion, and for the protection of the 

 lives, liberty, and property of the citizens." He 

 thus describes the events which had thus far 

 occurred : 



A series of unproroked and unparalleled outrages 

 31 



have been inflicted upon the peace and dignity of thin 

 Commonwealth, and upon the rights and liberties of 

 its people, by wicked and unprincipled men, profess- 

 ing to act under the authority of the United States 

 Government ; the solemn enactments of your Legisla- 

 ture have been nullitied ; your volunteer soldiersliave 

 been taken prisoners; your commerce with your sister 

 States has been suspended ; your trade with your own 

 fellow-citizens has been and is subjected to the harassing 

 control of an armed soldiery; peaceful citizens have been 

 imprisoned without warrant of law ; unoffending and 

 defenceless men, women, and children have been ruth- 

 lessly shot down and murdered ; and other unbearable 

 indignities have been heaped upon your State and 

 yourselves. 



To all these outrages and indignities vou have sub- 

 mitted with a patriotic forbearance, which has only 

 encouraged the perpetrators of these grievous wrongs 

 to attempt still bolder and more daring usurpations. 



It has been my earnest endeavor, under all these 

 embarrassing circumstances, to maintain the peace of 

 the State, and to avert, if possible, from our borders 

 the desolating effects of a civil war. With that object 

 in view, I authorized Major-General Price, several 

 weeks ago, to arrange with General Harney, command- 

 ing the Federal forces in this State, the terms of an 

 agreement by which the peace of the State might be 

 preserved. They came, on the 21st of May, to an un- 

 derstanding, which was made public. The State au- 

 thorities have faithfully labored to carry out the terms 

 of that agreement. 



The Federal Government, on the other hand, only 

 manifested its strong disapprobation of it, by the in- 

 stant dismissal of the distinguished officer wh'o, on his 

 part, entered into it ; but it at once began, and has 

 unintermittingly carried out a system of hostile oper- 

 ations, in utter'contempt of that agreement, and the 

 reckless disregard of its own plighted faith. These 

 acts have latterly portended revolution and civil war 

 so unmistakably, that I resolved to make one further 

 effort to avert" these dangers from you. I therefore 

 solicited an interview with Brigadier-General Lyon, 

 commanding the Federal army in Missouri. It was 

 granted, and, on the 10th instant, waiving all ques- 

 tions of personal and official dignitv, I went to St. 

 Louis, accompanied by Major-Generat Price. 



We had an interview on the llth instant, with Gen- 

 eral Lyon and Col. F. P. Blair, jr., at which I sub- 

 mitted" to them this proposition : That I would dis- 

 band the State Guard and break up its organization ; 

 that I would disarm all the companies which had been 

 armed by the State ; that I would pledge myself not 

 to attempt to organize the militia under the military 

 bill; that no arms or munitions of war should be 

 brought into the State ; that I would protect all citi- 

 zens equally in all their rights, regardless of their po- 

 litical opinions ; that I would repress all insurrection- 

 ary movements within the State ; that I would repel 

 all" attempts to invade it, from whatever quarter and 

 by whomsoever made ; and that I would thus main- 

 tain a strict neutrality in the present unhappy contest, 

 and preserve the peace of the State. And I further 

 proposed that I would, if necessary, invoke the assist- 

 ance of the United States troops to carry out these 

 pledges. All this I proposed to do upon condition that 

 the Federal Government would undertake to disarm 

 the Home Guard, which it has illegally organized and 

 armed throughout the State, and pledge itself not to 

 occupy with Its troops any localities in the State not 

 occupied by them at this time. 



Nothing "but the most earnest desire to avert the 

 horrors of civil war from our beloved State, could have 

 tempted me to propose these humiliating terms. They 

 were rejected by the Federal officers. 



They demanded not only the disorganization and 

 disarming of the State militia, and the nullification of 

 the military bill, but they refused to disarm their own 

 Home Guards, and insisted that the Federal Govern- 

 ment should enjoy an unrestricted right to move and 

 station its troops" throughout the State whenever and 

 wherever that might, in the opinion of its officers, be 



